SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On the second day of the Wings ETC… Classic the USC Upstate softball team went 1-1 against South Carolina State and East Tennessee State on a warm and sunny day at Cyrill Stadium.
In the first game of the afternoon USC Upstate (6-1) found themselves down early after the first half inning of play. Then the Upstate offense woke up behind the bats of
Cassie Norris (Powell, Tenn.) and
Savannah Grigsby (Elgin, S.C.) who each had a trio of hits and RBI's in the game against the Bulldogs. Freshman pitcher
Adison Yoder (Newton, N.C.) pitched 5.1 innings and struck out 6 batters on the way to her first collegiate win.
In the second game of the afternoon, the Spartans faltered against ETSU for their first loss of the season. The 5-3 loss was also the first loss ever for a Spartan team in the Wings ETC… Classic. Grigsby and
Marisa Soterakis (Miramar, Fla) each had two hit days, while
Peyton Darnell (Fort Mill, S.C.) recorded a pair of RBI's in the loss.
Game 1: USC Upstate 13, S.C. State 5
Scoring Breakdown
Top 1st: Three consecutive singles began the game for South Carolina State. DeAsia Lowther drew a bases loaded walk to break the scoreless tie. After a pair of strikeouts, AJ Jenkins picked up an RBI after being hit by a pitch and Daisha Simon drew another bases loaded walk to keep the inning alive. Miranda Gonzales was hit on the very first pitch she saw and the Bulldogs led 4-0 after the first inning of play.
Bottom 1st: Sarah Price (Landrum, S.C.) singled through the left side of the infield and stole second to get into scoring position for the Spartans.
Madison Lanoux (Fleming Island, Fla.) hit an RBI ground out to short to give the Spartans their first run of the game.
Bottom 2nd: Norris began the second inning with a leadoff homerun to centerfield.
Bre Cooper (Massillon, Ohio) walked and then advanced to second on a Soterakis hit by pitch.
Alexa Sanchez (Miami, Fla.) recorded her first RBI of the season and Price tripled down the right field line to score a pair of runs for USC Upstate.
Celeste Delorenzo (Ormond Beach, Fla.) recorded an RBI ground out to second and that concluded the scoring for the Spartans.
Bottom 3rd: With two outs in the inning, Grigsby doubled to left field to keep the inning alive and two batters later came around to score on an error by the right fielder.
Bottom 4th: Lanoux hit a one out single in the bottom of the fourth inning, and then stole both second and third base for the Spartans. Darnell walked and
Olivia Marshall came in to pinch run for the catcher. Norris roped a two-run single through the right side of the infield and one batter later Grigsby hit a two-out RBI single.
Top 6th: Daisha Simon began the inning with a triple to right field and came around to score on a Gonzales sacrifice fly to left field.
Bottom 6th: Lanoux got plunked to begin the inning and scored after a Darnell double down the left field line. Norris then singled back to the pitcher and stole second to put a pair of runners in scoring position for the Spartans. Grigsby ended the game with a walk-off two-run double to right field.
Notables
Cassie Norris went 3-for-4 at the plate with 3 RBI's and 3 runs scored.
Savannah Grigsby went 3-for-4 at the plate with 3 RBI's and a run scored on the afternoon.
Sarah Price went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI's and 2 runs scored.
Madison Lanoux went 2-for-3 at the plate with 2 runs scored and an RBI.
Adison Yoder pitched 5.1 innings and struck out 6 batters to pickup her first collegiate win.
Game 2: USC Upstate 3, ETSU 5
Scoring Breakdown
Top 1st: East Tennessee State loaded the bases with one out in the top of the first inning. The Spartans appeared to be out of arms way with the second strike out of the inning, but a two-run single by Andrea Sarhatt produced the first runs of the game.
Bottom 1st: Delorenzo reached first after being hit by a pitch with one out in the inning. One batter later and Darnell hit a two-run bomb to center field to tie the game at two.
Top 6th: Lilly Holston doubled to right field to keep the inning alive with two outs. Holston then came around to score on an error by the Spartans in the next at-bat.
Top 7th: Three consecutive singles began the inning for the Buccaneers. Another Spartan error proved to be costly as ETSU capitalized on the miscue. Lauren Lee hit an RBI ground out to end the scoring for ETSU in the seventh inning.
Bottom 7th: The Spartans loaded up the bases and looked to come away with their second walk-off win of the afternoon. Cooper reached on a fielder's choice and picked up an RBI in the process. A line out and a fly out ended the game for the Spartans.
Notables
Marisa Soterakis went 2-for-3 at the plate.
Savannah Grigsby went 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored.
Peyton Darnell went 1-for-4 at the plate with 2 RBI's and a run scored.
UP next for the Spartans
The Spartans will head south to the Sunshine State next weekend to participate in the Jacksonville/North Florida Spring Break Tournament.
Spartans win today, You save tomorrow!
Save 50% off online orders at Papa John's locations across the Upstate. Use the code
USCUP50 when placing online orders the day after Upstate victories. Also tomorrow, visit The Beacon Drive-In located in Spartanburg and show the win graphic posted to the @UpstateSpartans Instagram account to claim a free sweet tea as part of the "Sweet Taste of Victory" promotion. No purchase necessary.
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